Cannabinoids, their cellular receptors, and effects on the invasive phenotype of carcinoma and metastasis

Judah Glogauer, Jonathan Blay

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The morbidity and mortality of cancer are significantly impacted by the invasive and metastatic potential of particular subgroups of malignant cells within a tumor. The particular pre-metastatic properties of cancerous cells are thus a critical target for novel therapeutics in the oncology field. Cannabinoid molecules have been investigated in recent years in the context of invasion and metastasis of various malignancies, with varying effects reported in the literature. Recent Findings: There was substantial variability in the findings reported by the literature of the effects of cannabinoid molecules on cancer cell invasion and metastasis. These effects varied depending on which ligand and which of the CB1, CB2, or GPR55 receptors were investigated. These findings suggest a role for the phenomenon of biased signaling in explaining the diversity of effects of cannabinoid molecules on cancer cell invasion. Conclusion: While substantially more investigation is required into the effects of cannabinoid molecules on cancer cell invasion and metastasis, we describe in this review the significant diversity in the responses of cancer cells to cannabinoid molecules in terms of their invasive and metastatic capacities.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere1475
JournalCancer Reports
Volume5
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Canaquest MediCorp; McMaster Medical Student Research Excellence Scholarship Award Funding information

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Cancer Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

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